LongLiveA$AP delivers on and even exceeds the promise of LiveLoveA$AP. Like that mixtape, the album is a triumph of craft and curation, preserving Rocky's immaculate taste while smartly upgrading his sound

Rocky raps over the music without saying a damn thing older, meaner, and sharper rappers haven't said before. Then, bang, three dynamite songs.... Then, aww, three tracks that could be more obvious by half.

At its core, Long.Live.A$AP succeeds because it lets Rocky be Rocky: a rapper with a unique voice and an ear for captivating beats whose lyrical shortcomings can be glossed over with healthy servings of charisma and panache.

Unsure whether he wanted to create a sunny, party album, gangstafest, or a record of cool pop vibes, Rocky seems to have tried to make them all, and with minor successes in all departments, he sacrifices something stronger.

Long.Live.A$AP may not change the game like "good kid, m.A.A.d city," but A$AP Rocky's absorbing debut is more physical in its pleasure--as in, you'll be knocking your head to some of these songs for months.

Rocky synthesises the cutting edge experiments of his peers into a more commercially polished product that lacks the eccentricity of its influences but is uniquely out there when compared to most mainstream fare. [Feb 2013, p.61]

On LongLiveASAP, his major-label debut, Rocky expands his horizons even further, indulging in relative experimentation while also adhering to the gifts that have catapulted him to stardom in just over a year.

If there's a knock to be had against the Harlem rapper, it's that he lacks an original presence. So it's curious that for his major-label debut he's opted to further venture down the rabbit hole of references, loading Long.Live.A$AP with a bevy of guests with personalities far more distinctive than his own.

When consumed passively, as ambient music, his conceptual flaws recede into the fuzz of his production, a raw mush of sound that provides an appropriate and occasionally great backdrop for refreshing your Tumblr dashboard, at least until it delivers a more engaging artist to look at.

There are enough genre-hopping and synergistic, trans-genre partnerships present on the tracklist that Long. Live. A$AP, its commercial bets hedged, feels not unlike a myriad of other major-label rap disappointments from nearly any other era of rap.

Good album to start 2013 off with a new york and southern mixed style yet the album is seems it was over done in production and needs to focusGood album to start 2013 off with a new york and southern mixed style yet the album is seems it was over done in production and needs to focus on the lyrics more but the album is a great debut for the 24 year old.…Full Review »

Great album. I don't understand why some aren't liking it. I can see Rocky's progression as an artist on this. (best tracks: Long Live ASAP,Great album. I don't understand why some aren't liking it. I can see Rocky's progression as an artist on this. (best tracks: Long Live ASAP, LVL, PMW, Phoenix and Suddenly)…Full Review »

This album is a great first step for Rocky's career because it show you what he is capable of 1. A Great Emcee (don't believe me listen toThis album is a great first step for Rocky's career because it show you what he is capable of 1. A Great Emcee (don't believe me listen to suddenly, and 1 train) and 2. A very smart man for wisely choosing what to put in this album. This album could have been Live Love A$AP 2 but he went the opposite way and made a gem…Full Review »